Cloth Diapering or "To make a short story long..."

I am a minimalist about most things but especially when it comes to baby stuff.  Less, as they say, is more.  Which is why I hesitate to add to the growing amount of anecdotal advice about cloth diapering circulating the blogosphere these days.  But hopefully this post will be one that serves to alleviate some confusion rather than contribute to it; I know how overwhelming it can be.  I've tried to keep my comments simple.

First off, it is important to keep in mind that the primary reasons to cloth diaper are usually a combination of the following:

1. To save money
2. To reduce the impact on the environment
3. To reduce the amount of chemical exposure to your child

At some point you will have to decide which, if any, of these are most important to you, and assign some value to your time and convenience.  If that means choosing disposables, then do it. And of course there is no accounting for taste, so to each her own.  You won't get any hate from me about your diapering choices!

Here is what I started with:
Why we went with these:

• One Size that grows with baby (yet still fits well - we started at 8 weeks)
• Hybrid system = less laundry and less upfront cost
• Covers can be thrown in with regular laundry
• No messing with stuffing and unstuffing and laundry tabs*
• Option to use disposable inserts
• If you're going with an hybrid system, the gCloth and Flip inserts are more absorbent and less work than prefolds = fewer changes & less laundry (I think they are cheaper in the long run). 

I also just bought an Econobum cover and I wish I had two more of these instead of the two gPants I have now, which are not wearing well and will probably need to be replaced.

An odor-blocking diaper pail and liner are a must.  There are many out there to suit your fancy.  I have a Thirsties drawstring pail liner and a trashcan with a pop-up lid from Target and am very happy with the arrangement.  The liner will also be great for traveling/wet clothes once the diaper years are over.

What I've learned so far: 

• I really like the hybrid system--it's super easy.
• I would not buy gPants; I would buy Flip and Econobum covers.  
• gCloth inserts are my fave but I like having the Flip inserts as backup.  Both are nice.
• Disposable inserts are a rip off.  Biodegradable disposables are cheaper. 
• I think 5 covers : 12 inserts is about the perfect ratio.  

Additional thoughts:

Don't be afraid to start slow.  We use disposables pretty frequently, always at night and often when we go out (though we'll probably start to use cloth out and about more when I buy one of these).

This was a surprise to me, but I've handled wayyy more poop, done more laundry and ruined more outfits because of blowouts in disposables than when I use cloth.  Go figure.  Still, it's something that we've worked up to slowly.